On-loan Romelu Lukaku is expected to be part of West Brom boss Steve Clarke's plans to topple Premier League champions Manchester City at the weekend.

Lukaku was forced to miss Belgium's recent World Cup qualifiers with an ankle problem that has troubled him for the last couple of weeks.

However, the Chelsea striker, at the Hawthorns for the season, should return for the visit of Roberto Mancini's side.

Clark says the Baggies will have to continually assess the situation in order to ensure that it does not become worse, but added: "We're hopeful Lukaku will be fit. He's had a pain in his ankle for a few weeks.

"He felt it again when he came off the bench against QPR and didn't feel it was right to go with Belgium. He went across and got it assessed by the Belgium doctor and got sent back.

"It's not a big problem, but it's one we're mindful we don't want to become a big problem. We're monitoring it."

Meanwhile, Jerome Thomas is moving closer to a return to the first team after missing the start of the season with a knee problem. Thomas recently underwent minor surgery and has been back in training for over a week.

Steven Reid and Chris Brunt (both hamstring), and Billy Jones (knee) all remain doubts for the City, while Boaz Myhill will hopefully return to training next week as he continues his recovery from a thumb operation.